If you think Newport is spectacularly beautiful, just wait: the view from directly overhead offers a new and thrilling dimension. Bird’s Eye View Helicopters , a business based at the Newport State Airport in Newport, offers helicopter rides above the city and harbor. Check out Bellevue Avenue's world renowned mansions by air. Other points of interest that are easily visible from the helicopter include Ocean Drive, along one of the most beautiful coastlines in the country; the majestic Castle Hill and Rose Island light houses; Jacqueline Kennedy's summer home, Hammersmith Farm; and the aircraft carriers USS Forrestal and USS Saratoga. Phone: 401-843-8687.

Breakers Mansion Welcomes Families and Kids

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A new family audio tour will debut June 26, 2010, at The Breakers , the historic Vanderbilt summer cottage at 44 Ochre Point Avenue in Newport. The new family experience allows youngsters and parents to imagine themselves personally witnessing the history made in this great Gilded Age chateau. Visitors on the tour will meet Vanderbilt family members and staff, as well as fanciful creatures like the friendly dolphin hiding under the grand staircase, the lions of the Music Room and the dragons in the Dining Room. Spend a summer day in the life of one of the Vanderbilt children and meet the masters of the kitchen, Monsieur Le Chef and his colleague, The Butler. Take an imaginary slide down the grand stairs on a silver serving tray, listen as imaginary acrobats pile 50 feet high to measure the Great Hall, and learn all the rules the children had to live by at The Breakers. Information: 401-847-1000

Breakers Revealed

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The Preservation Society of Newport County is offering a new tour of The Breakers -- the historic Vanderbilt summer "cottage" -- that offers an updated interpretation of its place in American architectural, social and cultural history. The focus of the tour is on the visual beauty of the building, followed by stories of the Vanderbilt family and servants. It captures the spirit of a bygone era that is part of America's heritage. The new tour will take visitors into several previously unseen areas. Visitors will for the first time have an opportunity to see the house from multiple points of view, experiencing it the way different people did in its heyday...as a family member, a servant, or a guest. Phone: 401-847-1000.

Cliffside Views Are Out of This World

The Newport Cliff Walk is a 3.5-mile elevated, winding path along Newport’s shoreline with breathtaking views of Narragansett Bay and the rocky coves below. The walk runs from Bailey's Beach to First Beach, with public access points at Bellevue Avenue, Ledge Road, Marine Avenue, Ruggles Avenue, Ruggles Avenue, Sheppard Avenue, Webster Street, and Narragansett Avenue. The walk skirts the edges of some of the city’s mansions, including Beechwood, Rosecliff, Marble House, The Breakers, Ochre Court, and Rough Point. The latter half of the cliff walk has unpaved sections and rugged paths.

Discover Newport’s Tumultuous History
from the Sidewalk

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Learn about Newport’s fascinating Colonial history in the best way possible: by walking the streets of this old city in the company of an expert. Newport History Tours conducts several walking tours from spring through fall. The flagship tour, “Discover Colonial Newport,” tells stories of revolution and ruin and struggles for liberty and entrepreneurship among Newport’s people. “Pirates and Scoundrels” explores where scoundrels lived and where pirates profited. “Old House ABCs” explores Newport’s architecture, including the mansions of Bellevue Avenue. During “Newport’s Buried History” tour, listen to stories about Newport’s people of color. “Tastes of the Working Waterfront” invites guests to taste their way through history. On the “Rum and Revolution” tour, hear stories of taverns, distillers, rum runners and more. Tours depart from 127 Thames Street, Newport. Phone: 401-841-8770.

Farm Life, Preserved

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Jamestown Island is such a beautiful place to walk, bicycle, or drive, you almost don’t need to do anything while you are there; just being there is enough. But people who are fascinated with traditional farm life should stop at Watson Farm on North Road in Jamestown. This beautiful 265-acre working farm, managed by preservationist group Historic New England, welcomes visitors to its two-mile walking trail and special farm events. Phone: 401-423-0005

Fort Adams Is a Window Into Colonial Warfare

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For a tour of a beautifully preserved Revolutionary War fort, make a trip to Fort Adams on Harrison Avenue in Newport. During this tour, visitors may see the officers’ quarters; visit a scenic overlook of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay; stroll the six-acre parade field and the complex outerworks; enter one of the listening tunnels beneath the walls of the fort, and learn about more than 180 years of American history, military culture, architecture, and engineering. Tours given late May through Columbus Day, daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Phone: 401-841-0707

Gilded to the Rooftops

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Visit any of the mansions that grace Newport’s rocky shoreline and stately avenues. Built as summer cottages by the plutocrats of the Gilded Age, the mansions – the Breakers, The Elms, Marble House, Rosecliff, and more -- are impressive artifacts of American social history in spectacular natural settings.

Gothic Art Returns to Marble House in May

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Starting May 8, 2010, and for the first time since 1927, Alva Vanderbilt's collection of more than 300 medieval and Renaissance art objects has been re-assembled for display at Marble House, in the Gothic Room that was designed for them in 1892. Gothic Art in the Gilded Age is made up of more than 300 paintings, sculptures, and works of decorative art including metalwork, furniture and ceramics created across Europe between 1100 and 1550. This group of objects belonged to three owners: Paris collector Emile Gavet, Newport society hostess Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, and circus impresario John Ringling. Exhibit on display May 8 through October 31, Daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Phone: 401-847-1000.

Smooth Living at Rough Point

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Rough Point at 680 Bellevue Avenue in Newport was the home of Doris Duke (1912-1993), an heiress, philanthropist and art collector. This oceanfront estate provides an opportunity for visitors to see French furniture, European art, Chinese porcelains, and Turkish carpets collected from around the world. Rough Point provides a sweeping ocean view and expansive grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Tours of Rough Point are led by a knowledgeable guide in small groups. Tours includes Duke's bedroom and exhibition galleries, including Doris Duke's Extraordinary Vision: Saving 18th Century Newport, which explores her passion for preservation. Open April through November; hours vary. Phone: 401- 847-8344.